Why You’ll Forget This Article, but Remember an Infographic Forever

Why infographics are like brain cheat codes

Why infographics are like brain cheat codes.

Ever noticed how an image manages to communicate something in seconds while a paragraph makes you read the same sentence over and over? Your brain is hardwired in a way that makes it possible. Our brain processes images 60,000 times quicker than text. This is why infographics are not only helpful but a basis for the upgrade in how we understand.

In the modern world, we are drowning in data. On a daily basis, humans ingest 34 gigabytes of data which is too much for a supercomputer from 2000 to handle.

But we have not evolved to contend with this deluge of text. Rather, they do what they do best: Visual Processing. The volume of reading material that people are bombarded with online is more than they can cope with.

You know from experience that you remember 80% of what you see and you do, but only 10% of what you hear and 20% of what you read. This means you need more than just words to communicate complex ideas. You need visuals.

1) Your Brain Loves Pictures More Than Words

Almost half of your brain is made for processing visuals. That’s not an accident. For centuries, we would have had to develop skills to see and read predators, faces, and emotions before we were able to speak. When we read a paragraph, we have to decode each letter, which ultimately makes it a word, then a meaning. But when you see an image? Boom. Instant recognition. Whereas an infographic takes c seconds to interpret, a single page would take about a minute to decode.

2) Your Eyes Are Your Sensory Command Center

70% of your senses are resting in your eyes.

Think about that. Your vision dominates how you experience the world. If your other senses were radio channels, your eyes would be the daily 24/7 news feed we all get. We tend to remember what we see compared to what we just read. Since our vision accounts for around 83% of human’s perception, information which we see, rather than read, is internalized much quicker and retained for longer duration. That’s why pretty infographics are not just easy to consume, but also brain-friendly by design.

3) The Speed of Sight is Mind-Blowing

You can identify a scene visually in 1/10th of a second. That’s faster than you can blink. Your brain doesn’t read an image like it reads a word. It absorbs an image like a sponge.

That’s why road signs use icons instead of full sentences. It’s less effective to stop and read “Caution: this roadway may be prone to falling rocks” than to see a triangular grey sign with tumbling rocks right away. As you are going to learn below, it was difficult to unravel the information. Infographics tap into this potential whereby it transmits all the information you require in no time

4) Processing and Understanding. A Two-Step, Lightning-Fast Process

The brain only takes 150 milliseconds to see a symbol, but it takes another 100 milliseconds to make sense of it. In just a quarter of a second (as the saying goes, anyway), you look at a symbol and then attach meaning to it.

Imagine how difficult it would be for you to read a long paragraph if you had to look at each letter, check its position, and determine its meaning in the paragraph. When you read “falling rocks” dozens of visual symbols pass through your brain in a quarter of a second (as claimed!). Infographics help in transparency for information as well as speeding it up.

5) We’re Drowning in Data & Infographics Are a Lifeboat

Imagine you wake up in 1986 and you don’t have smartphones or social media. These days, you are getting 5 times the amount of information, on a daily basis, than you would have received in 1986. Our brains are not growing as fast as the information we are consuming, so we are getting too much data and information. The solution? Streamline it. But if you are shown an infographic, you will know what it’s about without use of words. Infographics take in huge amounts of information and condense them.

6) Your Brain Is Basically a Hard Drive, and It’s Filling Up Fast

Every day you take in around 34 gigabytes of information outside of work. You consume 34 gigabytes of data every day when you’re not working. That’s like 100,500 words straight into your brain. Via email, article, video, social media. And that’s before we even factor in the workday. If we tried to read, digest, and truly internalize all of this, we’d have a brain overload akin to a computer crash. This is where infographics shine. They act like a compression software that efficiently clears unnecessary clutter and focuses only on what’s required. It is much more useful than a manual or long explanation.

7) Most of the Words You See? You’re Not Even Reading Them

Ever found yourself opening an article, glancing through a few sentences, and then scrolling down for the summary? You’re not alone. Only 28% of words on a typical webpage get read.

That means nearly three-quarters of the content is ignored. This is why long walls of text just don’t work anymore. People skim. They scan. They hunt for key takeaways. Infographics tap into this desire to visually take in information without having to read it.

8) Color + Visuals = Instant Engagement

You will always tend to choose the colourful infographic over a dull black-and-white report. Color images boost the readiness of readers to read by 80%. We all have brains that function in the same general manner, but always on the lookout for images. Infographics get 80% more people to read! A great infographic can make boring numbers interesting with the right color, icon and layout combination. Because infographics are inviting, sources use these animations to get people interested and involved.

9) The Power of Visual Aids. Why Medicine Labels Need More Than Just Words

Envision yourself picking up a medicine bottle with those words. You’re bound to hang on to some of the words, but most will just fly away. According to a survey, people understand only text labels about 70% of the time. So, not too bad but not too good either. Now, let’s get a basic image in there. A skull and crossbones for poison maybe or a bright green checkmark for safe use. Suddenly, comprehension jumps to 95%. That’s because your brain recognizes visuals quicker than the words thus letting him know what is important ved. Infographics can save lives just as easily as a heart-attack patient suddenly being rescued by a paramedic in a hospital.

10) The Origami Effect. Why Directions Need Pictures

Have you ever had the experience of battling to get an origami design right just using written instructions? It’s borderline impossible. Without illustrations, our mind has to work overtime to convert words into pictures, which becomes a difficult process. Now, add illustrations. A study found that compared to directions consisting of text only, directions containing text and illustrations resulted in an improvement of 323%. It’s not a big difference, but it’ll mean the difference between a paper crane that looks fancy and one that looks like it barely survived the tornado. If you know how to fit the pieces of IKEA furniture and learn some CPR, you cannot be lost!

11) Want to Convince Someone? Use Visuals

Let’s say you’re pitching an idea to a room full of people. When you convince people with words alone, the number convinced is only 50%. Increase it to 67% when you add visuals such as charts, graphs, images. Why? Words give you the context to write but images visually show you the context. People don’t just want information; they want proof. When you display rather than explain, your argument becomes more trustworthy, persuasive and unforgettable.

12) Brain Scans and the Illusion of Expertise

Adding a brain scan to an article will make people believe it more as scientists add to it. Seriously. Research demonstrates that the mere mention of “cognitive neuroscience” or a brain image is sufficient for a claim to sound scientific — And be believed. Surprisingly, pictures help us to decipher what the subject matter is about. Infographics use this effect to make things seem credible. Want to boost your credibility? Add a chart, a diagram, or a brain scan.

13) The Memory Game. Why Visuals Stick Better Than Words

Think about the last conversation you had. Can you recall it word for word? Probably not. That’s because we only remember about 10% of what we hear. Now, what about the last book or article you read? We still only remember about 20% of what we read so that’s better.

But we remember 80% of things when we see and do something related. That’s why we remember better when we can see or touch something and engage with it.

How info is becoming more visual & less verbiage

Only a few years back, we had books full of text. Newspapers have endless columns of text.  Plus, the internet didn’t exist. But over the years, something changed. We began to see more than we read. Since ’90, we’ve started seeing more than we’ve reading. Newspapers saw a rise in visuals by 142% between1985 and 1994. Due to the phenomenon of internet explosion, visuals increased by an incredible 9900% ever since 2007.  Why? Because our brains demand it. As our attention span decreases , and the amount of information keeps on increasing , we are witnessing an evolution , not a fashion. Infographics, images, video – that is how we see it.

Pictures not only help you to remember things but they also make it easier to remember.  If we keep looking at something, we are likely to remember it better. That’s why infographics are not just a shortcut for understanding but an upgrade to memory and learning as well. If you want people to really remember your message, show it instead of saying. Show it.

We’ve Only Just Begun to Tackle the Age of Infographics

So what does this mean for the future of communication? Well, it’s already happening. Between 1990 and today, the frequency of visuals or images in literature has surged by 400%. The Internet has seen a whopping explosion of 9900% more visual content than just 2007. Meanwhile, newspapers have increased their imagery by 142%. It’s clear from the evidence that if you want to be understood, you need to be seen! It’s not just about understanding but persuasion too.

When images are shown in a presentation, 67% people are more likely to agree to its message. When a brain scan, chart, or visual is added, people are more than 67% likely to be persuaded by the presentation. It’s almost as if our brains trust images more than words. And in many cases, that trust is justified. But then, data visualisation highlights patterns that text cannot show. 

The bottom line? Infographics make it easier to digest information. More importantly, they alter how we know things. As information grows exponentially, those who visualise will thrive above the noise. Write in an infographic. It is definitely going to be fun for the reader.  Show it.